On Children and the "Other" (was:Re: On the perfection of moral virt

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 169640

> > Pippin:
> > Whoa! In what way is being asked a few questions by a school
> > teacher the same as being attacked by a vicious dog? 
> 
> Alla:
> 
> In metaphorical way, Pippin, in metaphorical. I should have said 
> though - I see it this way after reading OOP and HBP. I always hated 
> what Snape did to Harry on his first lesson, but such a strong 
> metahor came to me rereading the books in light of the later ones. 
> 
> But now when I reread PS/SS - oh **Yes**, vicious dog, absolutely. 
> IMO of course.

Pippin:
A metaphor for what? Ripper doesn't hate Harry. Presumably
he was allowed to mistake Harry for a species of prey. But Snape
has to make up an explanation for Bella about why he didn't at
first perceive Harry as prey in order to excuse himself for not
at once carrying out the unfinished business of GH. 

> Alla:
> 
> I do not see the relevance of this paragraph. My point is that Snape 
> insinuated Harry enjoying his celebrity status and that he had no 
> right whatsoever to do that, if he had any decency in him or any 
> remorse, that's all.


Pippin:
What part do you see as Snape insinuating that Harry enjoys his
status? I see an insinuation that celebrity status itself is distasteful.
This strikes me as the old-school Brit  attitude which Harry
himself shares. He's certainly disdainful of Lockhart.

Naturally Harry dislikes that Snape  is exposing 
him to Draco's ridicule. But he doesn't realize that Draco wasn't
ever going to be neutral on the subject of Harry Potter. Isn't it
far better that Draco, who, as we've seen, really can be clever
and dangerous on his own account, was deceived into thinking
that Harry was a jumped-up celebrity instead of a real threat?


Pippin
noting that only the first of Snape's questions could not
have been answered by anyone lacking  a wizard education